Denver Police Department's New State-Of-The-Art Crime Lab To Open In July

Denver's new $28 million crime lab, set to open in mid-July, comes complete with a shooting range, a gun library and more.

The new crime lab was opened for a media tour Tuesday morning in advance of the ribbon-cutting ceremony slated for June 5.

The new facility is about six times bigger than the old one and was one of the projects funded by the $550 million Better Denver Bond project.

“This new crime laboratory and its state-of-the-art technology will better serve our investigators and ultimately the entire Denver community,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock told ENR Mountain States. “The new lab will not only improve working conditions for our Police Department, it will also provide better equipment and resources for handling these cases.”

The building is shaped like a double helix and was constructed with an aesthetic touch with light-up DNA strands, shockwave and bullet sculptures by artist Cliff Garten.

Inside the 77,000 square foot development the Denver Crime Laboratory Bureau plans to consolidate all its units under one roof and even provides the capacity for on-site vehicle examinations that were previously conducted at external District Police offices.

"Policing is changing," Greggory LaBerge, director of the Denver Police Forensics and Evidence Division said. "This is part of securing Denver."

Forensic scientists will be able to examine trace evidence, computer forensics, ballistic evidence, cars used in crimes and even have a photography studio for documenting and a room to analyze explosive material -- all under one roof.

The police department is also offering eight of their Twitter or Facebook followers the chance to tour the new crime lab from June 8-10. Those who are interested should send an email to jennifer.steck@denvergov.org with "DPD Crime Lab" in the subject line.